In May students from the University of Kansas School of Medicine Pediatrics department shared an evening with 30 high school students in IRC Wichita’s Refugee and Immigrant Student Empowerment Program, (RISE). The evening was an opportunity for the pediatric medical residents to meet some of the RISE members and for RISE members to connect with their community. 

The group met at Urban Air Trampoline Park in Wichita for an evening of fellowship and play.  Guests had an opportunity to explore and try out the venue’s rope course, foam pits, trampolines.

“The kids were especially excited about this trip, because they’d never heard of or been to a trampoline park. Although the trip was later in the evening, kids were showing up right after school ready to have fun. They didn’t know what to expect, but they went right into dodge ball games, showing off cool tricks on the trampolines, and going through the obstacle course one, two, or three times!” Said, Amena Elamin, IRC Wichita’s Youth Development Coordinator.

The IRC’s RISE program meets twice a week during the school year and is an opportunity for refugee and immigrant youth between the ages of 14 to 20 who are enrolled in the Wichita Public Schools Newcomer Program to participate in afterschool tutoring. The program also offers cultural orientation through field trips which explore the city and connect the teens to others in the Wichita community.

“Within the past year, the RISE program has become crucial to our students’ livelihoods. It’s not only a chance for students to get academic help, but also a safe space for students to hang out, share ideas and aspirations, and most importantly, be themselves.  One our juniors had been failing all his classes since he began at Southeast. However, just last semester when he began attending our programming he had started to see Ds and Cs, and for the first time ever this semester he had mostly A’s! Some students don’t have homework but still show up for the snacks and socialization. We’re hoping to host more workshops and field trips that help our students with their social-emotional skills as well as life skills,” Elamin said.

Elamin commented that “As we were getting on the bus students were already asking how and when they could come back! They had a blast! It’s important for communities to show up for each other, and that’s what KU med did. Both the RISE students and the med students were able to have fun and bond over pizza and trampolines!”

A special thank you to KU School of Medicine-Wichita Pediatrics for sponsoring this event and for taking the time out of their busy days to spend time helping our students feel more welcome and connected to their community.